Combination ball bearing roller and hinge for luggage and the like



Oct. 9, 1962 w G. LEVIN ETAL 3,057,002

COMBINATION B ALL BEARING ROLLER AND HINGE FOR LUGGAGE AND THE LIKEFiled Aug. 12, 1959 72 INVENTORS WILLIAM LEVI N 7 WILLIAM SIMON I AHORNE) United States Patent Ofitice 3,057,002 Fatented Oct. 9, 19623,057,002 COMBINATION BALL BEARING ROLLER AND HENGE FOR LUGGAGE AND THELIKE William G. Levin, Oahridge Parkway, and William E. Simon, 609Highland Ave., both of Peeksldll, N.Y. Filed Aug. 12, 1959, Ser. No.841,915 1 Claim. (Cl. 16-24) This invention relates generally to luggageand the like and, more particularly, to heavy articles of luggage,baggage carriers, trunks, boxes, salesmens sample cases and the likehaving hinged covers, which devices are usually transported by the userpushing same over the supporting surface.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a hingeconstruction for the covers of such devices that is also adapted toserve as a mounting for ball bearings upon which the device may berolled over a floor, platform or other supporting surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined hingeconstruction and mounting for ball bearings.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a hinge constructionwherein the hinge leaves mount ball bearings.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a suitcase with a combined hingeconstruction and ball bearing mounting embodying our invention appliedthereto.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the suitcase of FIG. 1 shown upside downto more clearly disclose the invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of a combined hinge construction andball bearing mounting embodying our invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the plane of the line5--5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line 6-6 ofPEG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing the ball in full lines.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the ball retaining device.

Referring in detail to the drawings, in FIG. 1, for the purpose ofillustration only, the invention is shown applied to a suitcase 19. Itwill be understood, of course, that the invention might be applied toany similar type of closure structure, such as a trunk, box, salesmanssample case and similar structures. The suitcase 10 may be made of anysuitable material such as wood, plastic, metal, leather, fibre and thelike, and comprises a hollow box-like body 12 rectangular inconfiguration and cross section. The box-like body includes a base orbottom wall 16, side walls 18 and 20, and end walls 22 and 24 and isopen opposite the base 16 as viewed in FIG. 2.

A cover 26 closes the opening in the box-like body 12. The cover is of ashallow box-like shape including a top wall 28, side flanges 30 and 32and end flanges 34 and 36, said flanges registering with the side andend walls of the box-like body 12.

The cover 26 along one of its side flanges, for example, flange 30, ishingedly connected to one side wall of the box-like body 12, forexample, side wall 18. In accord ance with the present invention, thehinge connection between the box-like body and cover comprises two endhinge structures 40 and 40.

The end hinge structures 40 and 46 are of similar construction and eachincludes a pair of hinge leaves 44 and 46. Hinge leaf 44 is constitutedby an elongated flat metal plate 48 having a wide square portion 50 atone end and an elongated intermediate portion 52 tapering from said wideend portion toward the other end, said other end being slightly enlargedand semicircular as indicated at 54. Flanges 56 extend inwardly alongthe long edges of the plate to provide rigidity to the hinge leaf, andthe center of the body of the plate is punched out as indicated at 58 toprovide a reinforcing ridge and to enhance the appearance of the leaf.

The hinge leaf 46 is of substantially the same construction as hingeleaf 44 but is much shorter. The hinge leaf 46 is formed of a fiat metalplate 60 having a square wide end 62 merging with a short intermediateportion 64 tapering toward the other end which is slightly enlarged andsemicircular, as indicated at 66. Flanges 68 extend along the long edgesof the plate 60- to ri-gidify the plate, and a short punched out portion70 extending along the center of the plate serves to rigidify andbeautify the plate.

The material of the plate '48 of the hinge leaf 44 is extended at itswide end and centrally thereof and is looped upon itself to form a hingeknuckle 72. The wide end of the hinge leaf 46 is similarly extended atits sides and looped to form spaced hinge knuckles 74, 74 adapted toreceive the knuckle 72 of leaf 44- therebetween in alignment, thealigned knuckles being connected by a hinge pin 76.

The hinge leaf 44 is fastened to the outer surface of the side wall 18of the box-like body '12 by means of rivets 89 passing through holes 82in the ends of the plate 48 and passing through the material of thebox-like body 12. Hinge leaf 46 is similarly fastened to the flange 30of the cover 26 by rivets 84 passing through holes 86 in the plate 60and through the material of the flange 30.

According to the invention, each of the end hinge structures 40, 40 alsoserves as a mounting for steel castors or ball bearings 90 and 92 at theends thereof. For this purpose, the narrow semicircular end 54 of plate48 of each hinge leaf 44- is formed with an indented portion providing acurved seat 92 for the ball bearings 90. The ball bearing is retained onits seat but permitted to rotate thereon by an annular cap 94 secured inany suitable manner to the plate 48 around the seat 92 such as by prongs96 extending through spaced slots 98 in the plate and bent inwardlythereunder, as shown in FIG. 6. The diameter of the outer opening in thecap 94 is slightly less than the diameter of the ball bearing.

Locking mechanism 104 is fastened to adjacent edges of the side wall 2%of the box-like body 12 and of the flange 32 of the cover 26 at each endof the suitcase for locking the cover in closed position. This lockingmechanism is of ordinary construction and forms no part of the presentinvention.

A handle 106 is fastened to side wall 20 for transporting the suitcasewhen desired.

In use, the suitcase 10 may be placed on a level supporting surface suchas indicated at S in FIG. 1 resting upon the ball bearings 90 and 92. Inorder to transport the suitcase on such a level supporting surface, itis merely necessary to grasp the handle 106 and push the suitcaseforwardly, the suitcase moving forwardly upon the rotating ballbearings.

It will be understood that the hinge construction may be made in variousshapes and forms with leaves of similar lengths or of varied lengths,the present invention comprehending broadly a hinge construction withball bearings. It will also be understood that instead of two end hingeconstructions with ball bearings as shown, a third intermediate hingeconstruction with ball bearings might be mounted between the end hingeconstructions.

While We have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of ourinvention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to theprecise construction herein disclosed and that various changes andmodifications may be made within the scope of the invention as definedin the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent 15:

In a suitcase, an elongated hinge leaf plate, a mounting for a ballhearing at one end of said plate comprising an indented curvedsemicircular portion forming a seat for supporting a ball bearing, saidseat having spaced slots therein, near the edge thereof; and an annularcap connected to the end of the plate and extending above the seat andplate, said connection including spaced prongs above the slots andextending from the edge of the cap through the slots in said seat andinterlocked therewith, the diameter of the outer opening in the capbeing slightly less than the diameter of the ball bearing therebyserving to retain the ball bearing loosely on its seat, on the plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS604,400 Klose May 24, 1898 843,153 Kuhsiek Feb. 5, 1907 1,542,231Garfield June 16, 1925 1,761,453 Rankin June 3, 1930 2,579,448 Carrel-aDec. 18, 1951 2,581,151 Shwayder Jan. 1, 1952 2,605,989 Luft Aug. 5,1952

